Willis Towers Watson has hand-picked ‘guardians’ from its workforce as part of the broking giant’s newly launched Respect at Work programme.
Chosen for their suitability in providing support and guidance to colleagues, the Respect at Work guardians will receive specialist external training and serve as an impartial listening ear for Willis Towers Watson employees in a confidential and safe environment.
The network of guardians offers an additional support route for those who witness or experience unlawful harassment, discrimination, or inappropriate conduct in the workplace.
Meanwhile Willis Towers Watson has also launched a guide to help support and encourage managers to have open discussions about the culture in their team. The company will also be running a series of “Let’s Talk About Respect” workshops.
“We are taking these very important steps to promote and embed respect in every part of our business and every aspect of our work,” said Nicolas Aubert, head of Great Britain at Willis Towers Watson.
“In the UK we have worked hard to make sure that our working culture is inclusive throughout the business. This has been recognised by the Stonewall Index, listing the 500 most inclusive places to work in the UK, where Willis Towers Watson has risen 89 places and into the Top 150 this year.”
Referring to instances of inappropriate behaviour, the Great Britain head added: “We would always encourage colleagues to report these matters formally, via the whistleblowing channels available, however we also understand that formal procedures can be a barrier and sometimes people need someone to talk to informally first.
“Colleagues can still choose to speak up using all reporting channels available to them, or indeed handle the situation themselves; this network does not replace those options.”
According to Aubert, the guardians will be spread throughout Willis Towers Watson’s business lines and geographical locations in the UK.
